Electric gun



March 18, 1941. A, A, CQLE 2,235,201

' ELECTRIC GUN Filed March 27, lse 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYS.

A. A. COLE macmuc c-uu Ma rch 18, 1941.

,Filed March 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEYS,

Patented Mar. 1 3 19 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC GUN Arthur A. Cole, Newark, N. J.

Application March 27,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in ordnance devic,es,and more particularly to an electric gun which willinclude a rotatably and tiltably mounted barrel supported upon a suitable.

base, and'provided with electro-magnetic means, whereby an iron ball or shot may be propelled through the barrel and projected from the mouth magnets, wherebythe rays of light from said lights'to said photo-electric cells will be {intercepted by the movement .a of the shotnalong the barrel, to, successiyely-energize alternate; magnets to draw the shot,through-the barrel-and project the same from the'muzzlethereof; Another object ofmy inventi n is to provi ably supported in acarriage andmounted for rotation and tilting upon a suitable support, in

combination with a series; of electric-magnets mounted in spacedrelation along the barrel, and photo-electric cells for successively and alternately energizing said magnets, and controlled by a pair of relays fordrawing a shot throughthe barrel at increased speed and projecting the same from the muzzle thereof, at a high rate of velocity. e

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds. In the accompanying drawings which form a part of my application, i

Figure l is aside elevation of my improved electric gun; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the barrel of my improved electric gun; J

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the gun taken on the line 3- -3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic orschematic view of the barrel with the spaced electro-magnets supported on the same, showing the wiring diagram and relays, with one set of alternate magnets energized and with'the shot in the breech of the barrel in position to start its'travel therethrough, and, v 5.5 Figure 7 is a diagrammatic or schematic view de an}. improved electric gun consisting of a barrel suit-,

1939, Serial No. 264,451 (Cl. 124-3) of the barrel and associated electro-magnets supported thereon, with the wiring diagram showing the other electro-magnets energized, which were not energized in Figure 6 of the drawings.

Like characters of reference are used throughout the following specification, and the accompanying drawings to designate corresponding parts.

In carrying out my invention, I provide an im- Cii proved form of electric gun having a barrel I 10 supported in a suitable U-shaped carriage or frame 2 which is rotatably and tiltably mounted upon the base or support 3, which may be secured to the ground in any desired manner.-

. mounted upon the bearing'pin I, and is rotatably f mounted'fupon the bearing collar 5 at the upper yendpfthfi base or support 3. i-

Disposed injspaced relation along the barrel l v of' myggun, I have provided the'oppositely posi- 20 'tion'ed'electric-ma'gnets 8 and 1, arranged on the upper surface and lower surface of the said barrel, respectively. I

The substantially U-shape guide rails 8 are supported by the lower magnets 1, and extend 25 rearwardly therefrom parallel with the barrel I,

and slightly below the same, and are secured to the lowersurface of said barrel by means of the bolt. 9, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. Also positioned between the adjacent 30 electric-magnets I, are a plurality of U-shape supporting brackets ID, the same being provided at the upper extremities of their side arms with the depending bearings II, which are slidably mounted upon the guide rail 8, said bearings be- 35 ing provided with the lock bolts 12 for holding them in the desired adjusted position. Mounted upon the left hand bearings, as viewed in Figure 3 of the drawings is an upstanding arm l3 which supports a casing or housing 14 in which is posi- 40 tioned the photo-electric cells Hi. .The surface of the casing or housing I4 is curved correspond ingly with the curve of the barrel I, and contacts the same. Openings l6 and I! are formed through the inner wall of the casing or housing 45 I4 and through the side wall'of the barrel I, and are adapted to be alined, for purposes hereinafter set forth.

Mounted upon the bearings l I at the right hand side of the barrel, as viewed in Figure 3 of the 5 drawings, is an upstanding arm l8 which supports the casing or housing l9 formed similarly to the casing or housing I4, its inner wall being curved to correspond to the curvature of the barrel wall, and openings 2lland 2| are formed through the The carriageof frame 2 ofthe is -'15 spectively. Electric sockets 22 are mounted in the casingor housing l9, and are adapted to support the electric light bulbs 23, whereby when said bulbs are illuminated, rays of light therefrom will pass through the openings 2| and 20 and across the interior of the barrel l and through the openings 16 and I! to the photo-electric cells, which will be energized as long as the light rays are shining upon them. 1

From the drawings, it will be apparent that the openings in the opposite sides of the barrel l comprise elongated slots, while the openings in the inner spaces of the casings or housings 4 and iii are small round holes. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the supporting brackets l0 may be moved forwardly or rearwardly towards or away from the several electric-magnets, whereby the timing of the ef-.

fective attraction of the iron ball or shot 24 may be varied as desired.

The inner walls of the casings or housings l4 and iii are extended considerably forward and rearward of the said housing, to effectively cover the slot in the barrel I, and recesses 25 are formed in the opposite sides of the collar portions at the upper ends of the carriage orframe 2, to

receive the said elongated inner walls when they are moved rearwardly.

In Figures 6 and '7, I' have illustrated the wiring diagram for, my improved electric gun, and it will be apparent that the electric magnets A, C, E and G are connected in series with the adjacent photo-electric cells, and with the winding on the relay 26, and are all simultaneously energized when the armature 21 of the said relay 26 is pulled up against the said relay. A second relay 28 is provided, its winding being connected in series with the nhoto-electric cells and with the adjacent electro-magnets B, D and F.. When the armature 21 is attracted to the relay 26, the electric bulbs-adjacent the electromagnets A, C, E and G will'be illuminated, the circuit being connected on one side to a generator G, through the switch 29 backthrough the armature 21 to the said generator. The various lamps are arranged in parallel, so, that the lamp'adjacent the magnets A, C, E and vG will be illuminated at the same time, and when they arenot illuminated, the lamp adjacent the mag, nets B, G and F will be simultaneously illuminated.

In Figure 6 of the. drawings, the circuit has been illustrated-to show that the magnets A, C, E and G are all energized and likewise the photoelectric cells adjacent these magnets are energized, and the light bulbs adjacent the said inagnets are illuminated.

In Figure 7 of the drawings, I have illustrated the wiring diagram showing the relay 28 with its armature 30 attracted to it, and with the electric-magnets-B, D, and F energized, and the adjacent photo-electric cells and light bulbs ener.. gized and illuminated respectively.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the alternate electro-magnets are connected together in series with the photoelectric cells, and are simultaneously energized, at the same time the cooperating electric light bulbs are illuminated.

It will be understood that any desired means may be employed for feeding successive balls the operation will be the same as successive shots passed through the barrel and from the muzzle thereof.

The mode of operation of my improved electric energized, as are the electric-magnets A, C, D

and G with their adjacent photo-electric cells and the adjacent electric bulbs are illuminated. The attraction caused by the magnet A being energized will draw the shot 24 along-the barrel until it gets to the point where it intercepts the beam of light from the first light bulb shining on-the photo-electric cell, and in thus breaking the beam of light, the photo-electric cell will be caused to open the circuit to the magnet A. How ever, the momentum of the bullet will cause it to continue to roll. or move along the barrel, at the same time the circuit is broken to the magnet A, it will be also broken to the magnets C, E and G, as they are connected in series with it. Likewise at the same moment the circuit to the magnet A is broken, the relay 28 will be energized drawing the armature 30 to it, at which time the magnets B," D and F will be energized as will the adjacentiphoto-electric cells, and the adjacent electric light bulbs will be illuminated.

.The ball or shot 24' will then be'attracted by the magnetic force of therna'gnet B," and it will move along the barrel until it passes through the beam of light shining from the electric light bulb adjacent the magnet C to the adjacent photo-electric cell, at which, time the circuit will be instantly opened to the said magnet B and to-the series connected magnets D and F. Likewise, as soon as the circuit to the magnet B is opened, the relay 26 will automatically be re-energized and the magnet C, E and G, and also the magnet A will again be re-energized, and the attraction of the magnet C will draw the ball or shot 24 further down the barrel, until it passes through cuit to any of the magnets B, C, D, E, F or G is broken, the magnets adjacent thereto on each side will be energized, but the ball or shot 24 as it passes along the barrel will be attracted and pulled along the barrel by the nearest magnet towards the muzzle end of the said barrel.

The effective attraction of the several magnets may be varied at will by moving the casings l4 and I9 lengthwise of the barrel so that the circuit will be broken at the proper time to the various magnets, thus the speed of travel of the shot 24 may be regulated as desired to vary the force of velocity with which it leaves the barrel, with a consequence variation in the distance the shot will travel.

While I have described one form of my improved electric gun and illustrated the same in the drawings, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact construction described and illustrated, as many minor changes in detail of construction may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An electric gun including a barrel having spaced aligning slots at diametrically opposed points, said slots being extended longitudinally of the barrel, a circuit including a source of electrical energy, electro-magnets disposed along the barrel in spaced relation, a closure on the barrel for each slot, each closure including a housing having an opening communicating with the slot, means for adjusting each closure and housing thereon longitudinally of the barrel whereby said opening may be placed in any position along said slots, photo-electric cells connected in series with the magnets and located in the housings at one side of the barrel, light bulbs in the housings at the opposite side of the barrel and cooperating with said cells, a projectile in said barrel, and means whereby the movement of said projectile in the barrel cutting the light rays from said bulbs to the cells, automatically energizes the magnets successively to draw the projectile through the barrel and discharge the same there- 10 from.

ARTHUR A. COLE. 

